


An Uncertain Life

by iloveromance



Category: Frasier (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-20 14:46:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14263329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iloveromance/pseuds/iloveromance
Summary: Fifteen years after Niles inexplicably disappears from her life; his whereabouts sheltered by his father and brother, Daphne makes a remarkable discovery; one that encompasses both her past and her future. A crossover with "The Good Wife"





	An Uncertain Life

**Author's Note:**

> In trying to find a way to crossover my two favorite shows, and include DHP's Niles Crane and Frank Prady, I came up with this. I know it's a bit unconventional, but it promises to unfold by the last chapter

And now, by the power vested in me by the State of Washington, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

"Finally!" Donny shouted, causing a ripple of laughter among the many wedding guests. But Daphne stood perfectly still; the smile plastered on her face as Donny lifted her veil and kissed her. The kiss was passionate, even more so than she thought appropriate for a first kiss at her wedding, where both of their families, friends and colleagues of Donny's were watching. She tried to comply, to give into the kiss the way a newly married (and extremely happy) bride should. But instead she closed her eyes, aware of his rough fingers on her cheeks, and simply let him kiss her, showing very little emotion. Fortunately no one seemed to notice her feigned happiness, and neither did Donny.

But when the kisses ended and the applause began, she looked around at the guests, her eyes locking with Frasier and Martin's. In the eyes of Dr. Frasier Crane, she saw something she never thought she would find; disappointment... or was it something else? She knew that Frasier was thinking of their conversation just the day before, when, after returning from Morrie's funeral, she had tearfully confessed to having feelings for his younger brother.

He'd encouraged her to talk to Niles, and she'd done just that, her heart fluttering when Niles confessed something that she'd known to be true for five months now. He'd been in love with her for six years. On the balcony at the Wayside Inn, he'd begged her to accept his love. She wanted to, oh, how she wanted to. She did love him. She loved more than she thought possible But she loved Donny too, and she had to do the right thing. She and Niles had both made promises to other people. And so she simply walked away, leaving Niles alone with the scent of night blooming jasmine and a star-filled sky.

So now here she was less than twenty four hours later, standing before friends and family. She glanced at the diamond on her finger that signaled that she was no longer free and then moved her gaze into the eyes of her husband.

Her husband…

"All right, let's do this!" Donny shouted. For effect, he punched his fist in the air, the way a prize fighter might. His self-created scene brought a scattering of laughter from their guests and she saw him smile in satisfaction. The processional music began and Donny offered her his arm. However she hesitated, unable to ignore the glaring omission next to him. And the omission was the one person she had wanted most to share this special day with, even knowing that he was in love with her.

It was Donny's instance that all three Crane men were named groomsmen, but now she found it odd that Donny hadn't said a word about the absence of Niles. Surely he noticed. Donny noticed everything. She wanted to be angry at both men, but she couldn't very well blame her friend. After all, Daphne had broken his heart. But he was a married man. He was married to Mel and Daphne was sure that even though their marriage had gotten off to a rocky start, they would have a happy life. Mel Karnofsky was, as Frasier had often pointed out, similar to Maris (Niles' first wife, a completely wretched woman), and rather controlling, but Niles was a different person now. He was stronger and more assertive and he'd learned from his mistakes. She had no doubt that Niles and Mel Crane would be successful in their marriage.

Her mind drifted back to the present and the fact that Niles was not there. How could Donny not have noticed that he was short one groomsman? Surely he'd noticed that the man responsible for making this marriage possible wasn't missing. Anyone would have been able to tell that the ratio of groomsman to bridesmaids were now uneven; There was no way it had gotten past Donny. There were supposed to be six groomsman; one of whom she'd never even met. It was as though Niles' existence no longer mattered. It mattered to her a great deal, however.

She wanted so much to tell him that she was sorry. She loved him so much. He was her best friend and she'd hurt him so deeply. Even if he accepted her apology, she'd never forgive herself.

And it was that thought that she carried with her as she walked down the aisle on the arm of her husband, as the new Mrs. Ronald Donald Douglas.

The reception was held in the Wayside Inn's elegant ballroom, with large picture windows that looked out over the garden where, just moments before, she'd pledged her love and fidelity to her new husband. Their hands joined, Donny led her to the huge double doors and pulled them open. Like the ribbon that opened a gift, they walked inside, instantly met with cheers and applause.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. And Mrs. Donny Douglas!"

The cheers and applause grew louder as Donny led her into the ballroom where the strands of Billy Joel's "She's Got a Way" filled the room. She was pulled into Donny's arms and they were dancing, very much the way they had done the night before in the hotel bar. Donny's arm possessively around her waiter and her hand lightly in his, they moved to the music, pausing every so often to kiss. This, of course, delighted the guests who sighed and applauded. Pleased with the attention, Donny kissed her several more times before spinning her in a circle. To the guests around them, they were the most perfect couple; all smiles and happier than they'd ever been in their lives.

As they danced, she looked around the room at the smiling faces watching them. Her mum, who still seemed in a state of shock that her only daughter had finally managed to find a man who would marry her. And her dad, who probably felt the same way. There were her brothers, all eight of them; Stephen, Nigel, Michael, Billy, Reginald, Peter and David, who were having the time of their lives, taking full advantage of the abundance of alcoholic beverages at the no host bar. And Roz, who had somehow changed out of her maid of honor dress in record time and was chatting happily with a man whom Daphne had never seen before.

But it was when she locked eyes with Frasier and Martin yet again that her heart began to race madly. She was eternally grateful when the song ended, even though it prompted Donny to give her another kiss, one that surely raised eyebrows, even though it was clear that they were now officially married. Eager for some space, she gently pushed him away and smiled her palms flat against the lapels of his tuxedo. "Oh my, Donny… That was-"

"Just the beginning." He interrupted. "Just wait till we get to the hotel and jump into bed. You'll see how hot our love can be."

She looked at him, horrified at his brassiness on what was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. But she wasn't about to cause a scene. Not here. Not now.

Her palms still on his chest, she forced a smile. "Go mingle with our guests, Darling. We'll have plenty of time to be with each other later."

If he was annoyed by her request, he didn't draw attention to the fact, and for that she was eternally grateful. She kissed him softly and smiled, touching his unshaven cheek. "Thank you, Donny. I love you." she said, without giving him a chance to protest.

Like that, she was gone, heading straight for Martin and Frasier. She could only imagine the things they would say to her. She approached the men carefully and slowly, taking note of how handsome they looked, dressed in matching tuxedos with tiny rose boutonnieres in a soft shade of yellow. But something was clearly missing from the otherwise picture-perfect moment. Or rather, someone.

Her heart thundered in her chest as she approached the two Crane men. "H-hello Dr. Crane. Mr. Crane."

Frasier smiled. "Daphne, you're family and you always will be. Please, call me Frasier."

"And you can call me Martin."

She smiled at both men, feeling strangely shy around the people she'd become the closest to since coming to America over seven years ago. But luckily the awkwardness lasted only for a moment.

Frasier took her hands and smiled. "Daphne, you look absolutely beautiful."

She blushed, almost having forgotten that she was wearing her wedding gown. "Thank you, Dr.-I-I mean, Frasier."

"You really do look nice." Martin added. "Prettiest bride I've ever seen. Um, except for Hester of course." He looked hesitantly at Frasier. "Oh, and I guess I should include Lilith in that statement, right, Fras?."

Frasier chuckled. "Actually Dad, I think that Daphne looks far more beautiful than Lilith ever did."

Tears fell onto Daphne's cheeks and she hugged each man, kissing their cheeks. "I love you both so much."

"We love you too, Daphne."

She stared at the younger Dr. Crane. The man she now could call Frasier. And the question she'd been anxious to ask fell off of her tongue. "Where's your brother?"

The question seemed to make Frasier uneasy and he glanced at his father, who nodded. "Niles had to leave. He, um…He wanted to be here, but he, um..."

"He had some things he needed to do. You know responsibilities to his patients and to his wife." Martin added with far too much hesitancy to be believable.

The words were like a knife to her heart. She should have known that he wouldn't come, but she hoped… New tears fell onto her cheek and she tried to smile but the smile wouldn't show.

"You're disappointed in me."

Both men spoke at once, moving closer to her, their hands on her shoulders.

"No, Daphne, absolutely not!"

"That's not true at all!"

"But your brother…" She said to Frasier before turning to Martin. "And your son… I hurt him! I'm so sorry! I never-."

Frasier handed her his handkerchief. "There's nothing to be sorry for. You were following your heart and you wanted to do the right thing. Niles understands that."

She blotted the tears from her cheeks and then hugged him, holding on a bit longer than necessary and then accepted a hug and kiss from Martin.

"Fras is right, Daphne. Donny's a good guy and he'll take care of you. He'll make you happy. It looks like he already has."

"But-."

"Niles will be fine." Martin replied, reading her mind. "You know, I'm not fond of that wife of his, but if he's happy, then… well, hell... I'm happy for him."

"So am I." Daphne said quietly. "But I hoped…"

Frasier nodded. "I know. But this is your wedding day, Daphne. You should make the most of it. You should be with your husband."

Daphne felt her heart warm at the words. Her husband. She was married. It was like a fairy tale come true.

Her eyes rose from the floor to meet Frasier's. "He is me husband, isn't he?"

"You've got that right!"

A pair of arms slid around her waist and two lips pressed against her neck, startling her. and for a split second she found herself wishing-

"Donny..." She said, her voice trembling. "H-hello..."

"What are we waiting for?" He asked enthusiastically. "Let's get this honeymoon stared! Daphne Douglas, our wedding night is just a warm-up for what I have in store for you!"

Her face flushed in embarrassment and she couldn't bring herself to look at the Crane men. "Donny, please-."

At the interrupted sound of oohs and ahhs, they turned to see the enormous wedding cake being rolled on a cart by two pastry chefs.

"I guess that's our cue!" Donny took her hand and led her to the middle of the floor, where cameras flashed like mad. She and her new husband posed for picture after picture and she smiled for the camera, more for the sake of her guests and her husband. Minutes later they smiled for the camera once more as their hands covered one another, holding onto the knife with which they cut the first piece of cake. To her horror, Donny promptly shoved into her mouth. Finding it humorous that her carefully applied makeup was now ruined from the addition of butter cream frosting and white cake, Donny, along with the other wedding guests, laughed. But no one laughed harder than Simon.

Donny cut Daphne another piece of cake, obviously wanting to meet the same fate. But she silently refused, and instead fed him the cake carefully, and then kissed him in the hopes of erasing the ridiculous thought from his mind. Their wedding was supposed to be a joyful occasion, not a side show to entertain their guests. And immediately she saw how disappointed he'd been in her decision.

A few hours later, the reception was finally winding down. She hugged Roz tightly and thanked her for reluctantly agreeing to be her maid of honor. She looked her friend up and down, noting that Roz's brightly colored maid of honor dress had been replaced with a sexy black dress that hugged her curves and barely covered her hips. Although Roz looked absolutely amazing, Daphne couldn't help but laugh.

"Roz, what are you wearing?"

Roz turned in a circle, her arms outstretched and her eyes moved downward to admire her appearance. "What, this? Oh, just something I picked up."

Daphne laughed. "You mean something to pick up men in! I know what you're up to! There are a lot of eligible men here."

"But I'm not one of them!" Donny chimed in, wrapping his arms around Daphne's waist. She turned in his arms and kissed him. "That's right, Darling. You're mine." The kiss was meant to be short and sweet, but Donny quickly deepened it before she was ready. She pulled away more abruptly than she intended, not surprised at the alarmed expression on his face.

"What's wrong, hon?"

"I'll tell you what's wrong!" Roz answered. "You two need to get a room! That kiss was hot!"

"You haven't seen anything yet." Donny laughed. "Just wait till we get to our hotel room!"

"Donny!" Daphne gasped in horror, wondering why she was embarrassed. He'd said the same thing jut moments before in front of Frasier and Martin, and she was certain that Roz had heard it all before (from Donny, perhaps), but the fact still remained that her new husband was making her very uncomfortable.

"Whoa! You two are going to have one hell of a wedding night!" Roz went on, a bit too enthusiastically. "I wouldn't be surprised if you end up pregnant tomorrow!"

Daphne's cheeks burned with embarrassment. "Roz, please! Donny and I want to wait a while-."

"A long while." Donny interrupted. "Who in the hell has time for kids? Not me!"

An emotion came over her then. it was an emotion that she never imagined that she'd experience on her wedding day. She swallowed hard as the hot, angry tears threatened to fall. Her husband's words had hurt her deeply, but it was impossible to remain calm. In that moment she realized that Donny's opinions about children had changed since they'd become engaged. However, she wasn't about to create a scene on her wedding day, here at her wedding reception. She knew from their past disagreements that it was best to wait until the honeymoon was over and they settled down into married life to discuss such personal decisions.

But she couldn't resist commenting on his opinion.

"I have time for kids, Donny!" She said, finding it even more impossible to keep her voice low and steady. "And even if I don't, I'll make time! I thought you'd feel the same way! You used to!"

He drew her to him and held her, rubbing her back softly. "You're right. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. We can talk about it later, all right?"

"I'm sorry I snapped at you. Look, we'd better go." She said a bit louder, drawing back from him.

They bade their guests and friends goodbye, but the hardest goodbyes of all were to Frasier and Martin.

"Aw, come on. Don't cry." Martin scolded gently. "You'll see us in a few weeks. I can't go without my exercises forever!"

She laughed and hugged Martin tightly, kissing his cheek. "I love you, old man. And I love you too, Frasier." She turned to the eldest Dr. Crane and hugged him even tighter.

"Thank you for everything. I mean it."

Frasier smiled and kissed her. "It was our pleasure, Daphne. It's wonderful, seeing you so happy. Now go on. Donny is waiting."

As Daphne took Donny's hand and they moved to the door, she turned to the Crane men whom she loved so much. "Will you-."

Frasier and Martin nodded, as though they already knew what she was going to ask. "We'll tell him." Frasier answered. And she knew that he would.

That night, her wedding night, as she and Donny lay in bed, breathless from a rather rushed session of lovemaking, she fell into a deep sleep. It had been an exhausting and wonderful day. For the first time since she could easily remember, she wasn't thinking of the man she'd once loved and lost to someone else. she was thinking about Donny. and she vowed to love Donny Douglas with her whole heart.

It was all that she could do. It was the right thing to do. And that was what love was about; doing the right thing.


End file.
